Affinities: A Journal of Radical Theory, Culture, and Actionhttps://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities
Total article views since 2007: <strong>123,326</strong>. We haven't moved as much product as a certain Golden 'Food' Chain, but we think that what we offer is better than even 10 billion burgers. And it's all free! Thanks very much to everyone who has contributed over the years, and to those who have checked out what we've been doing.en-USAffinities is anti-copyright. We encourage people to use anything they find here in any way they please -- take risks, contaminate the global mindstream, get themselves in trouble. It's out of our hands (we, the editors, and you, the writer) once it's on the site. That's what it means to 'publish', no?affinitiesjournal@gmail.com (Richard JF Day)affinitiesjournal@gmail.com (Richard Day)Mon, 02 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400OJS 3.1.0.1http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss60Camping at the Crossroads: Introductory Essay to a Special Issue on Antiracism and Anarchismhttps://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6106
Jakub Burkowicz
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https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6106Fri, 30 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400Black Flag White Masks: Anti-Racism and Anarchist Historiographyhttps://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6107
Dominant histories of anarchism rely on a historical framework that ill fits anarchism. Mainstream anarchist historiography is not only blind to non-Western elements of historical anarchism, it also misses the very nature of fin de siècle world radicalism and the contexts in which activists and movements flourished. Instead of being interested in the network of (anarchist) radicalism (worldwide), political historiography has built a linear narrative which begins from a particular geographical and cultural framework, driven by the great ideas of a few father figures and marked by decisive moments that subsequently frame the historical compartmentalization of the past. Today, colonialism/anti-colonialism and imperialism/anti-imperialism both hold a secondary place in contemporary anarchist studies. This is strange considering the importance of these issues in world political history. And the neglect allows us to speculate on the ways in which the priorities might change if Eurocentric anarchist histories were challenged. This piece aims to discuss Eurocentrism imposed uopn the anarchist past in the form of histories of anarchism. What would be the consequences of one such attempt and how can we reimagine the anarchist past after such a critique?<br />Sureyyya Evren
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https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6107Fri, 30 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400Anti-Fascism and the Ethics of Prefigurationhttps://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6108
<p>There is a tension between rival anti-fascist praxes: social democratic, orthodox Marxist and indeed some anarchist movements privilege consequentialist approaches because the goal of defeating fascism is viewed as the supreme value, whilst most anarchists and heterodox Marxist approaches have tended to support prefigurative methods. This paper clarifies the concept of prefiguration to illustrate the differences and conflicts between these anti-fascist approaches and the possibilities of a convergence. In doing so it identifies and replies to some of the main criticisms of prefigurative anti-fascism.</p>Benjamin Franks
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https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6108Sun, 01 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400In Defense of Counterposed Strategic Orientations: Anarchism and Antiracismhttps://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6109
<p>Many antiracist theorists allege that antiracism suffers from a crisis of being unable to realize its goals and potential. The fact that we continue to experience racism in the 21<sup>st</sup> century and that contemporary antiracist movements are fragmented and dispersed is upheld as evidence of an antiracist failure. In light of such alleged shortcomings, Pierre-André Taguieff invites us to rebuild what he calls the “fragile ship” of antiracism, while Paul Gilroy urges us to abandon it altogether. Drawing on poststructuralism and the work of anarchists engaged in antiracist activism, I argue that the proclaimers of an antiracist crisis are unduly influenced by Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony. Gramscian influenced antiracism dismisses non-unified antiracist movements for being ineffectually engaged in, what Michael Omi and Howard Winant characterize as, “counterposed strategic orientations” (1986, 102). This paper will briefly consider Gramsci’s influence on antiracist theory, with a greater focus on Omi and Winant’s racial formation theory. I turn to two case studies of antiracist anarchist movements, anarchist antifascism and Anarchist People of Color, in order to show that rather than being in crisis, antiracism today continues to struggle against racism outside of the logic of hegemony. I demonstrate that without recourse to such Gramscian “solutions” as political unity and intellectual leadership, social movements continue to deal with questions of race and racism and to mount significant opposition to racial hierarchies. In doing so, they constitute not Taguieff’s fragile ship but what I identify as a <em>strategically flexible antiracism</em>.</p>Jakub Burkowicz
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https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6109Fri, 30 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400Reaffirming Our Anti-Racist and Feminist Commitments: A Review of Towards Collective Liberationhttps://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6110
Book ReviewAdam Gary Lewis
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https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6110Fri, 30 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400'We Need to Talk': A Review of Undoing Border Imperialismhttps://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6111
<p>From the frontlines of the battle against global imperialism, this book both argues for and exemplifies the importance of dialogue within and about radical activism. It is a collective project that is based in various No One is Illegal groups across Canada and includes writings from more than a dozen different people. The bulk of the book is framed by Harsha Walia's understanding of borders and border imperialism and reflects lessons she has learned from many years of activism. It is an important part of discussions that continue to take place about the how theories and intellectual work relates to social change.</p>Kevin Partridge
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https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6111Fri, 30 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400Contributor Bioshttps://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6112
Adam J Barker
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https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/affinities/article/view/6112Sun, 01 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400